Mission Statement

The Universal Gaming Alliance, Unigamia, or |UGA| is a non-profit organization whose goal is to unify gamers, misfits, rebels, and loners across multiple games and platforms. It does this through the Sovereignty System, such that each game is given its own autonomy within the organization, and players can move within sovereignties instead of joining other organizations to play those games. |UGA| will continually expand until it is a dominant presence in every popular multiplayer game on PC, and expand to consoles once that dominant foothold is maintained.

In the |UGA|, your gender does not matter; your race does not matter; your sexual orientation does not matter; your gender identity does not matter; and your age will not be used against you. Everyone is equal and will be treated without unfair discrimination. Everyone will be treated with mutual Respect. |UGA| consists of people with various beliefs, creeds, religions, and political beliefs. Individuals who disagree vastly must agree to disagree, and respect one-another as fellow members of the Universal Gaming Alliance. It is through Loyalty not to one individual, not to the leadership of |UGA|, but to |UGA| itself that we can put aside our personal differences and view each other as members of this alliance who will support each other as individuals and each seek to grow and expand the organization so that it achieves longevity. It is through our loyalty to |UGA| that we can have respect for each other as allies regardless of our differences.

However, loyalty to the organization breaks down if we cannot trust each other, and that trust is rooted in Honesty. Our community cannot exist without it. Honesty is more than speaking the truth, it is having the freedom to speak what you believe to be the truth. Maybe you are wrong, maybe you are right; you have to accept the possibility of both outcomes, but you can only know the outcome of your speech if you speak. As such, Freedom of Speech is an integral part of Honesty. You might offend others with your speech, but what matters is intent. If you do not intend to disrespect, then you should be honest. Just as you can be honest while not being disrespectful, you can be honest while being dignified. Dignity is having maturity, patience, and pride in and as a member of |UGA|. You should not be a sore loser or a sore winner. You should not be impatient when waiting for a game or decision. You keep it positive. Talk about the good times in |UGA|, not the bad. There is more than one way to speak, and you can speak honestly while being undignified. Rise above it, and be both honest and dignified.

Just as you must have dignity, |UGA| members must have Discipline both inside and outside of |UGA|. Discipline is following the rules and having self-control. Inside of |UGA|, when members discipline themselves and do not break the rules, there are no arguments, or the arguments can be quickly resolved. Outside of |UGA|, discipline is integral to managing the time you play games, and pursuing your education. Your job and schoolwork come first before anything you have to do for |UGA|. When you do have to do things for |UGA|, it often requires Leadership. We believe in giving all members of |UGA| the chance to become leaders, and to learn leadership experience that they can bring outside of |UGA| into the world. Leaders will be taught how to manage other users, how to resolve conflict, and how to grow the organization.

Last but not least, the |UGA| instills a sense of Camaraderie in every single member. Once a member of |UGA|, you are always a member of |UGA|. Every member will take a break from |UGA| at some point in time, but nearly all of the committed members who take a break come back to |UGA| in the future. Overall, |UGA| seeks to be one thing: a family. Do not do anything to another member that you would not do to your own family. When you join, you become part of a fellowship, a fraternity of brothers and sisters who are all orientated toward the same goal: growth of our organization and the propagation of our Core Values beyond |UGA|: Respect, Loyalty, Honesty, Dignity, Discipline, Leadership, and Camaraderie.

Article I. Structure

This article details the entire structure of the Universal Gaming Alliance.

Subdivisions

Omniversal Triumvirate

The Omniversal Triumvirate consists of the Universal Admiral, the Supercluster Council, and the Galactic Command Center. This is the executive branch of the Universal Gaming Alliance.

Supercluster Council

The Supercluster Council consists of the Universal Admiral and the Supercluster Commodores. This is the judicial branch of the Universal Gaming Alliance where all final decisions are made.

Galactic Command Center

The Galactic Command Center consists of Galactic Commanders and Spur Officers. This is the legislative branch of the Universal Gaming Alliance that decides on new sovereignties and new amendments to the Constitution.

Tiers

This is a list of all tiers (also known as ranks or roles) in the Universal Gaming Alliance. Every Tier has the Powers of the Tiers below it and the Restrictions of the Tiers above it.

Universal Admiral - Tier 1

Banish a user permanently from TeamSpeak 3, Discord, all game servers, and the community

All powers necessary to fulfill the duties of the Universal Admiral that do not conflict with the laws of |UGA|

Immunity to all punishment and inquiries

Duties

Management of the |UGA| community

Management of |UGA| game servers

Management of |UGA| groups

Requirements

Must be a Universal Admiral

Supercluster Council - Tier 2

The Supercluster Commodores are the second-highest authoritative group below the Universal Admiral. The Supercluster Council must always consist of an even number so that, in addition to the Universal Admiral, votes are never tied. Supercluster Commodores are an appointed—not an elected—position.

Powers

Fast-track the creation of a sovereignty

Ban users pending an inquiry

Sitting in judgement over an inquiry

Duties

To give counsel to the Universal Admiral on issues of policy

Must always wear |UGA| tags when acting as a Supercluster Commodore

Must join TeamSpeak when online for the purposes of administration

To judge disputes on |UGA| Constitutional law

To judge appeals on |UGA| Sovereignty law (when the dispute cannot be contained within the sovereignty)

Those of Galactic Commanders

Supercluster Commodores break ties from the Galactic Command Center

Supercluster Commodores cannot abstain on votes and must supply a reason for their votes

Requirements

Belonging to |UGA| for at least 10 years and showing the capacity to judge disputes amongst both higher and lower members

Recruiting three members (in addition to the previous two)

Cannot be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs during rulings or deliberations

Must be adept at using and administering Steam forums

Galactic Command Center - Tier 3

Galactic Commanders are the third-most authoritative group below Supercluster Commodores.

Powers

Create a sovereignty

Move users in TeamSpeak 3 and Discord

Kick Earthbound Explorers from TeamSpeak 3 and Discord

Ban Earthbound Explorers from TeamSpeak 3 and Discord

Duties

Must always wear |UGA| tags when acting as a Galactic Commander

Must join TeamSpeak or Discord when online for the purposes of moderation

To lead sovereignties to the best of their abilities

To police TeamSpeak 3 and Discord with the powers allotted

Those of System Lieutenants

Requirements

Belonging to |UGA| for at least one year and showing the maturity to handle administrative powers.

Recruiting two members

Restrictions

Galactic Commanders cannot make decisions on behalf of the entire |UGA| without a Supercluster Commodore's approval. For Sovereignties, a non-leader Galactic Commander cannot make decisions pertaining to the sovereignty without approval from a Sovereignty Leader.

Quadrant Commandant - Tier 4

Work in progress.

Spur Officer - Tier 5

Spur Officers are veteran members of |UGA|.

Powers

Extended permissions in game servers, subject to Sovereignty Law

Move users in TeamSpeak 3 and Discord

Duties

Promote Earthbound Explorers to Planetary Ensigns

Act as Mediators during instances of drama

Those of System Lieutenants

Requirements

Frequent user of TeamSpeak 3 or Discord.

Parsec Prefect - Tier 6

Work in progress.

Sector Supervisor - Tier 7

Work in progress.

System Lieutenant - Tier 8

System Lieutenants are normal members of |UGA|.

Powers

Can call for an inquiry against another member

Extended permissions in game servers, subject to Sovereignty Law

Duties

Those of Planetary Ensigns

Requirements

Regularly joining the TeamSpeak 3 or Discord server over a period of a month

Must be seen wearing the |UGA| tags regularly or occasionally

Creating an account on the forums

Must be 15 years of age or older

Planetary Ensign - Tier 9

Planetary Ensigns are recruits to |UGA|.

Powers

No powers

Cannot call for an inquiry against another member

Duties

Wear |UGA| tags

Join TeamSpeak 3 or Discord regularly

Participate in |UGA| games

Requirements

Joining the TeamSpeak 3 or Discord server for a month

Must be 13 years of age or older

Continental Cadet - Tier 10

Work in progress.

Earthbound Explorers - No Tier

Earthbound Explorer is simply the name for users who are not members of the |UGA| or who no longer qualify to be members of the |UGA|.

Article II. Regulations

Statuses

A member has one of three statuses at any given time:

Active

Members are active based on any of the following standards:

The member regularly joins TeamSpeak 3 or Discord

The member regularly plays |UGA| games

Hiatus

Members may go on a hiatus if they cannot access their computer or play a game for an extended period of time. This can range from a few days to a few months, and at most a year. To have Hiatus status, a member must post a comment on the |UGA| group's page specifying how long the individual will take off and for what reason, unless the reason has a private connotation in which the individual can simply say 'private'. Failure to do so can flag that member as Retired and removal from the group.

Retired

Retired members are members that fell off the grid, failed to comply with activity standards, or left |UGA| gracefully.

Banishment

The |UGA| banishes a member when it evaluates as a whole that the individual in question makes no contributions, negatively affects other members, and degrades the community. This individual will lose membership in the |UGA| group, banned from TeamSpeak, and ostracized.

Inquiries

Inquiries occur when a member has supposedly broken a rule. That member will be pulled into a private channel with the highest ranking officer present to which they will discuss what rule the member broke and not to break it again.

Rules

Most inquiries can be thrown out with a simple discussion and apology.

Speedy inquires are banned.

All inquiries should be recorded in audio or text format.

All inquiries are judged by a jury of superiors in the Galactic Command Center or higher. If the inquiry is against a Spur Officer, a jury of Galactic Commanders must judge. If the inquiry is against a Galactic Commander, the Supercluster Council must judge.

Neither a claimant nor defendant may judge an inquiry. If either is a member of the Supercluster Council, the Universal Admiral or absentee judge must take his or her place.

All members of the Omniversal Triumvirate may witness an inquiry, but may only speak when requested by a judge or allowed after a request from the claimant or defendant.

In the inquiry, neither the claimant or defendant may speak unless given permission by the judge.

Inquiries are not a contained environment immune to rules. Any further rules broken during an inquiry will be assembled for another inquiry.

Schedule

Inquiry Start.

The claimant presents his or her claim first.

The defendant gives his or her account of the claim.

All evidence by the claimant is examined and determined to be valid or invalid.

All eyewitness accounts are heard and either deemed valid or invalid.

All claims are gone over in a rebuttal between the claimant and the defendant, and possible input from other Galactic Commanders.

The claimant makes his or her closing statement.

The defendant makes his or her closing statement.

The judges determine whether the claimant is guilty or not guilty, and then decide punishment based on the sum of offenses.

Inquiry Adjourned.

Article III. Direct Harm

(A) Definition No member shall directly cause harm to another member or oneself.

(B) Trolling No member shall troll another member with malicious intent, such that it would severely impact another member emotionally.

(C) Flaming No member shall flame other members. Flaming is defined as directing slurs, epithets, or other insults at other members directly.

(D) Baiting No member shall bait another member into a confrontation. Baiting is a precursor to trolling, goading or provoking a person with seemingly harmless or neutral phrases but with loaded language

(E) Threatening No member shall direct threats at another member.

(F) Bullying, Harassment, and Scapegoating No member shall engage in bullying, harassment, or scapegoating against another member, or incite other members to bully, harass, or scapegoat another member.

(G) Ridiculing, Mocking, and Impersonation No member shall ridicule, mock, or laugh at another member, as opposed to laughing with another member. If the object of your joke is not laughing with you, then you are laughing at, not with the other person. Impersonation is a form of mockery, and similarly disallowed.

(H) Hazing No individual or Sovereignty will engage in hazing of new members or moderators.

(I) Griefing No individual will engage in griefing a |UGA| game, defined as a game with 2 or more |UGA| members in it.

Article IV. Factioning

(A) Definition Factioning is defined as individuals who belong to |UGA| and attempt to steal members away from the |UGA| to another organization or prevent users from joining |UGA| servers.

(B) Faction Recruitment No member of the Universal Gaming Alliance shall recruit another member to an organization, Discord, TeamSpeak 3, or any other server not run directly by the |UGA|, unless specified in V. C.

(C) Factioning Exceptions The following organizations are exempt from being declared an enemy faction so long as they stay within the restraints listed.

(i) Sovereignty A sovereignty is a subdivision of the Universal Gaming Alliance, usually for a specific game but it could also be a subdivision of its members for a social purpose. A Sovereignty is bound by the Constitution, and should host links to both the Constitution and an invite link to the Universal Gaming Alliance Discord in their #rules channel or whatever is equivalent.

(ii) Alliance An Alliance is a separate gaming organization to the Universal Gaming Alliance with an agreement to share members based on a specific game. The allied organization would send all of their members to the Universal Gaming Alliance for the games |UGA| plays, while the |UGA| would send all or some of our members to the allied organization for the games they play. Both Discords would host invite links to each other in the channels that represent the games the other organization plays.

(iii) Streamer Discords Streamers run their own Discord servers for the purpose of building their stream and their audience. So long as streamers continue to take part in |UGA| and aren't simply using it to recruit members to their streams.

(iv) Friend Discords Friend groups can create private Discords since |UGA| is so big, as long as the group doesn't try to get members to quit |UGA|.

Article V. Drama

(A) Definition Drama is defined as the spreading of information meant to damage an individual's reputation or turn others against said individual, instead of reporting concerns up the chain in the respective hierarchy of |UGA|.

(B) Dishonesty No member shall lie to or about other Unigamia members. Lying to administrators or moderators of Unigamia will be punished more severely.

(C) Reporting Drama Members must report drama to a member of a higher tier. No member shall be spread drama amongst peers.

(D) Procreation and Propagation of Drama No member shall engage in the procreation or propagation of drama across any part of Unigamia. Any member found to be perpetuating drama will be punished within the Sovereignty that the drama occurred, propagating up to Unigamia. This includes, but is not limited to:

(i) Spreading Rumors Rumors are at the heart of most drama. If you have heard something about someone else, it's best to ask that person directly.

(ii) Behind Someone's Back Talking negatively behind someone else's back when the member is not present to defend him or herself is prohibited. Talking about another member in private channels with higher ranks in an official capacity is allowed.

(iii) Bandwagoning If a specific member is involved in drama with other members, and that member has done nothing to you, you have no right to bandwagon on the that member and increase the severity of the drama by having more people involved. Report the drama to a higher rank.

(E) Past Drama No member shall reiterate past drama. Reiterating past drama that solely involves a Banished member of Unigamia is allowed. Privately speaking of past drama to a member of the Galactic Command Center for legal purposes is allowed. If Past Drama is brought up, it must be synopsized in a way to cease discussion of the drama as quickly as possible. Past Drama includes, but is not limited to:

(i) Continuing Drama Telling new members about a negative incident involving another member is prohibited.

(ii) Ragebaiting Bringing up heated arguments or incidents from the past, especially those involving anger or rage, that will once again fan the flames of that anger or rage is prohibited.

(iii) Compound Offenses In addition to being a violation of Article III. Direct Harm, bringing up Past Drama to mock, ridicule, or laugh at another member is a compound offense and will be treated more severely.

(F) Blackmailing No member shall use information that would result in punishment as a means to blackmail another member of the Universal Gaming Alliance. This will result in severe punishment for the blackmailer.

(G) Accusations of Pedophilia Accusing another member of Unigamia of pedophilia, whether seriously or in jest, will result in immediate punishment for that offense. If you believe someone is engaging in pedophilia, bring it up to a Galactic Commander or above.

(H) Accusations of Simping Accusing another member of simping over another member (usually a female) is prohibited. Because of the contemporary meaning of the term, this insults not only the individual being called a simp but also the person alleged to be simped after.

Article VI. Community

(A) Integrity of Community No member shall partake in action that misrepresents, disrupts, weakens, or divides our community, our sovereignties, or the Constitution. Saying that "|UGA| is dead", "|UGA| is dying", or any denigration of |UGA| will result in an immediate demotion.

(B) Tag Members should wear the tag of Universal Gaming Alliance, |UGA|, prefixed before their Steam name, and with no extra space between tag and name, whenever possible.

(C) Advertising No member shall advertise to another community or server without express permission from the Galactic Command Center. This includes sending invites to servers over DMs.

(D) Bribes No member shall attempt to bribe an administrator or moderator of the Universal Gaming Alliance, and no administrator or moderator will accept bribes. This can include, but is not limited to: money, games, or in-game items.

(E) Begging No member of the Universal Gaming Alliance shall beg other members for powers, ranks, or gifts. This can include, but is not limited to: admin/moderator on game servers, ranks in game or in Discord, money, games, or in-game items.

(F) Spam of Any Kind Any spam perpetuated on our servers, whether it be our forums, TeamSpeak 3, Discord, DDoS attacks on our game servers, or any other sort of spam, will result in instantaneous punishment, unless exempted by Sovereignty Law.

Article VII. Conduct

(A) Assume Good Faith All members should assume the good faith of other members. Do not assume that other members are against you unless explicitly stated.

(B) Rules All members will follow the rules of the Universal Gaming Alliance and its respective Sovereignties. No member will incite other members or non-members to break the rules.

(C) Exclusion No member shall exclude another member from a game or discussion. If not all members will fit into one game, branch off into groups. Exclusions are allowed in sovereignty laws.

(D) Interrupting No member shall consistently interrupt another member. If one member has another member muted or blocked and continues to interrupt, that member will be muted by the moderators.

(E) Block/Mute Signaling No member shall engage in block or mute signaling, which is blocking or muting a member and then telling everyone that you blocked or muting that member, or saying that those messages are blocked.

(F) Bad Sportsmanship No member shall engage in bad sportsmanship that poorly represents |UGA| or its members.

(G) 5 Minute Rule If you can't resolve a dramatic argument in text chat within 5 minutes, you are required to join a Voice Call and talk it out. Text chat without voice is emotionless and you will assume bad faith in the other person.

(H) Passivity Does Not Mean Consent No member shall assume that passivity or a non-answer from another member indicates affirmation of the question.

Article VIII. Hierarchy

(A) Hierarchy Respect No member shall try to denigrate or diminish the ranking structure of |UGA| or its constituent Sovereignties. Member must operate within their rank, and not try to circumvent higher ranks.

(B) No Pretenders Under no circumstances is a member without administrative or moderation powers to act as though he or she has those powers.

(C) Contemporary Rulings When a member has to be punished, the ruling of the most senior member of the Omniversal Triumvirate will hold true until an appeal is filed in the Galactic Command Center.

(D) Illegal Sovereignties No member below the rank of Spur Officer will attempt to create a Sovereignty without permission from a Spur Officer or higher.

(E) Blocking Moderators No member shall block moderators of constituent sovereignties. If a member blocks a moderator in a sovereignty and ignores an order from that moderator, punishment will still apply.

(F) Bias and Tunnel Vision No leader shall, as an attempt to change public opinion, state a preferred opinion first or show bias towards a preferred outcome.

(G) Abuse No admin or moderator will abuse one's powers.

Article IX. Privacy

(A) Doxxing Doxxing is the intentional digging and sharing of personal (private or public) information. Doxxing can include but is not limited to: full names (both given name and surname, not just given name), addresses (not region or nearest major city), names/occupations of family members, photos of members, photos of family members, or nudes of the member (pictures of the breasts, penis, or vulva).

(i) Punishment Scope Doxxing a Unigamia member is punishable whether it is done within Unigamia or outside Unigamia, and whether it is done by a user of Unigamia servers, or a member of Unigamia.

(ii) Discovering and Sharing It is possible some users may inadvertently discover the dox of a member of Unigamia. Dox may be reported to Supercluster Commodores without fear of punishment. If dox are discovered and it is reported, but the dox are not shared with anyone other than the target of the dox, the discovering user will not be punished. The target member will be notified that he or she has dox publicly available and advised on steps to remove them.

(iii) Recording Voice or Video To prevent the rise of deep fakes, permission must be asked before recording the voice or video of a member of Unigamia. Public streamers must give notice before and during the streaming of content that features others. Sound clips created consensually require consent of the member in order to be distributed.

(iv) Honesty Exemption Members are not required to be strictly honest when asked about their personal information, including their name, birth date (it must be accurate on the forums, but you do not have to make it public), and location. Members must be honest about their exact age for purposes of promotions and preventing minors from accessing adult content.

(B) Private and Direct Messages The Universal Gaming Alliance neither holds nor claims to hold authority to demand the release of the PMs (private messages) or DMs (direct messages) of any of its users on any public platform (e.x. Steam, TeamSpeak 3, Discord) not under the complete control of |UGA|. PMs sent on the forums are subject to Constitutional review.

(i) Assurance of the Right to Privacy When not pertaining to official administrative, legal, or sovereignty issues, all members of |UGA| shall assume Two-Party Consent for PMs and DMs. You are not allowed to share the PMs or DMs of other users without the consent of the users whose PMs or DMs you are sharing.

(ii) Suspension of the Right to Privacy When pertaining to official administrative, legal, or sovereignty issues, DMs or PMs can be volunteered under One-Party-Consent to the Galactic Command Center only. DMs or PMs cannot be shared with members below a Tier of Spur Officer unless the above stipulation is met.

(iii) Conditional Right to Privacy Users of a public platform not holding a Tier as specified in this Constitution will have no protections from their messages being shared freely without consent. Non-members accused of facilitating a |UGA| platform to harass our members can be freely punished according to the rules set forth on that platform and not those in the Constitution.

(iv) Context and Contextless PMs or DMs between two individuals can only be submitted for an Inquiry or official |UGA| capacity if they abide by the above provision and are contextless. For instance, if a member shares the dox of another member or explicit images directly to him or her. Any messages requiring context, such as a conversation, are subject to the risk of messages having been edited or deleted and will be considered invalid for |UGA| administrative action. In the case of allegations such as he-said-she-said in PMs or DMs, |UGA| will take absolutely no official action, and suggests that members block each other on that platform.

(v) Submission of Evidence Because all screenshots can be manipulated, screen-sharing will be required and viewable by no fewer than 2 witnesses in order for evidence to be submitted in an Inquiry or any other official |UGA| capacity.

Article X. Sovereignties

(A) Sovereignty Law Sovereignty Law has as much weight as Constitutional Law, so long as the Sovereignty Law does not conflict with Constitutional Law.

(B) Sovereignty Rights Any member found to be attacking, demonizing, or deteriorating the stability or reputation of a |UGA| sovereignty, will be punished to the fullest extent as though it were an attack on the main body of |UGA|.

(C) Sovereignty Conflict Any sovereignty found to be attacking, demonizing, or deteriorating the stability or reputation of another |UGA| sovereignty will have its own sovereignty overruled and be fully investigated, with the staff of the offending sovereignty subject to demotion both in the sovereignty and in |UGA|.

(D) Jump Promotions Neither the Universal Gaming Alliance nor Sovereignties are permitted to engage in Jump Promotions. A jump promotion is when a member skips a rank to immediately move onto a higher rank above it.

(E) Special Cases TeamSpeak 3 and Discord will be considered Sovereignties of the Universal Gaming Alliance, as any rules enacted pertaining to either of these sovereignties will be considered Sovereignty law.

Amendments

This is a list of amendments to the Constitution, which will include a link to both the changes to the Constitution on the wiki and the Discord message where the amendment vote was held. Constitutional Convention links will not have a link to the wiki revision for each one.